Suffolk Reporter

Stony Brook University has welcomed its largest-ever incoming class of first-year students, marking a 13% increase in first-year undergraduate student enrollment. The total number of new first-year students for the Fall 2024 term is 4,042, up from 3,569 in Fall 2023. Additionally, there are 1,334 new transfer students this fall compared to 1,286 last year, representing a 4% increase.

The university received the highest number of undergraduate applications among all State University of New York (SUNY) schools. Stony Brook continues to prioritize enhancements to the student experience through faculty engagement, professional advising, mental health support, and other services.

“This historic enrollment of first-year students is a testament to Stony Brook University’s steadfast commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience and its rise in reputation as one of the nation’s most prominent public flagship research universities,” said Interim President Richard McCormick. “Stony Brook today exemplifies dramatically all the most important developments in modern American higher education — a growing and highly diverse student body, an expanding research enterprise, and research achievements that are contributing mightily to the economy and society.”

Stony Brook maintains one of the highest percentages of Pell-eligible students among public universities. It leads the SUNY system with the highest number of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) applications and has posted its largest EOP class ever. The EOP program supports promising New York students who face financial and academic barriers.

While institutions such as MIT and Harvard have seen drops in enrollment for Black and Latinx students this fall, Stony Brook's enrollment for these groups has increased. First-time Black student enrollment rose from 364 (10.2% of the incoming class) in Fall 2023 to 433 (10.7%) in Fall 2024. Latinx student enrollment increased from 496 (13.9%) last year to 633 (15.7%) this year.

In terms of rankings, Stony Brook has shown significant improvement in recent years according to U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings—moving from #93 in the 2022 rankings to #58 in both the 2024 and newly released 2025 rankings. For three consecutive years now, it remains ranked as the #1 public university in New York State and is notably listed at #26 among Top Public Universities nationwide for two years running.